Marvel Comics has released two new stills from the set of Jon Favreau's Iron Man film.
After nearly a decade of aborted attempts to adapt the Iron Man comic book from Marvel Comics into a feature film, the rights eventually returned to Marvel Studios who began developing the feature as early as November 2005, making it their first independently produced feature film.
Fans everywhere rejoiced when it was announced that Jon Favreau (Elf, Zathura) was hired to direct, since he is an avowed fan of comic books. He debuted scenes from the film at the San Diego Comic Convention and the response was so positive that Paramount Pictures asked him to rush out a teaser trailer for the film.
When asked how he expected to “sell” the idea of Iron Man to non-comic book fans, Favreau said:
“The biggest hurdle was getting the comic book audience to know that we got the right guy playing Tony Stark, that we’re handling the movie with the right tone, with the right humor, with the right personality, with the right look and we get the suit right. Because that’s the only people who know who Iron Man is right now: are the fans. Now it’s about educating the rest of the public.
With an incredible cast that includes Oscar nominee Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow as Virginia “Pepper” Potts, Oscar nominee Terrence Howard as James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Oscar nominee Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger, and appearances by Oscar winner Hillary Swank and Stan “The Man” Lee, this comic-to-film adaptation has more star power and acting credibility than any other super hero film to date!
Iron Man synopsis courtesy of Ironmanmovie.com:
Oscar nominee Robert Downey Jr. stars as Tony Stark/Iron Man in the story of a billionaire industrialist and genius inventor who is kidnapped and forced to build a devastating weapon. Instead, using his intelligence and ingenuity, Tony builds a high-tech suit of armor and escapes captivity. When he uncovers a nefarious plot with global implications, he dons his powerful armor and vows to protect the world as Iron Man.
Iron Man is scheduled to be released May 2, 2008.